For the Team
by anime-sparkle-party
Summary: After Seirin's match with Kirisaki Daiichi, Hanamiya wanted to get them back, but in a more sadistic way than they had thought. - Warning: Moments of violence, torture and humiliation, and eventually Yaoi fluff (Kagakuro)
1. For The Team

The air was filled with nothing but tension. All that could be heard was the ball bouncing, the shoes squeaking on the floor and the ragged breathing of Seirin and Kirisaki Daiichi. It was Seirin's second game against those monsters. After their first loss at the winter cup preliminaries, Hanamiya had demanded a rematch, claiming that this time he'll win. In this match, he didn't exactly show it. It was nearly half time, and Hanamiya even put Kentaro in. Seirin was seven points ahead of them, but they did think something was wrong. So far, Kirisaki Daiichi haven't been using violence as much. The worst they did was a little tugging and pulling, or stepping on their feet to stop them from getting the ball, but that was mainly it. Kiyoshi had decided to play as well, but he wasn't targeted as much either. It almost felt like a normal practice match.

BUZZ

The sound went off to mark end of the first half leaving the scores at 61-55 to Seirin. Hanamiya had managed to score a buzzer beater - using that little shooting technique no one thought he actually had. The spectators, that now included Kise, Aomine, Midorima and Murasakibara (Akashi of course felt no need to attend) and some of their team member, were observing the game carefully. They also found it rather weird that Hanamiya hasn't tried anything yet. But they also knew they mustn't be naive, for they still had an entire half of the game left.

"Hanamiya!" Kuroko called before they managed to go back to their locker rooms. Hanamiya turned around and glared at the boy.

"What do you want?" He growled.

"Why? Why can't you just be happy with playing basketball normally. I remember the things you said in our first match. You said the misfortune of others tastes like honey. Well doesn't fun and happiness from playing something you love taste like honey too? I don't get why-"

"Baka!" Yelled Hanamiya. "Do you honestly believe I enjoy playing fairly? Playing fairly is not fun. It's basically like standing there and listening to instructions on how to play it. But when you're like me, and you create completely new rules, it's thrilling,"

Kuroko stared, trying to hide the shock in his eyes but failing miserably.

"Remember what I did to your senior last time? Kiyoshi... After the match, even if I was fairly pissed off at the fact that I had lost, I was still rather pleased with myself with the damage I had managed to do. It was sweet. It was glorious. And it almost made me forget that I had even lost in the first place. As you can see, the pain of others is my pleasure,"

By now Kuroko was even more shocked than when Hanamiya had told him all that before in their first match. It all just seemed too much. Too psychotic. Too unrealistic. Too hurtful. He found it hard to believe that someone could disgrace a sport so much.

"But... When I see others bring swallowed by the joy of their victory it pisses me off. Especially weaklings like you. If it weren't for you I would have beaten Seirin last time. I would have been successful in breaking your seniors. I would have been successful in making myself feel good. But no. You just have to come along and ruin it all don't you. You brat,"

"I'm not a brat. I also don't think that would ever happen. I care about my seniors too much to let that happen. And I'm sure Kagami-kun would agree with me. We would never let cheaters like you win,"

"Oh but my dear Kuroko... We already have..."

Kuroko blinked a few times in confusion and slight shock. What did he mean by that? Is there something we need to know? Is there something they're hiding? Is there something we're missing? Every member of Seirin stared suspiciously at the captain if Kirisaki Daiichi. Especially Riko. She knew they had to be ready in the second half of the game.

Hanamiya let out an ugly low laugh before continuing to walk to his locker room. Kuroko gulped and turned around to walk to his own.

"This is bad..." Imayoshi said from the front row of spectator seats as he watched Hanamiya exit the court with thoughtful yet slightly worried eyes.

When they reached the locker room everyone was a little too quiet. Kuroko sighed and opened his locker. Inside was a note. He looked at it for a few moments before slowly picking it up. He didn't like notes. He opened it hesitantly.

'Meet me on the roof before the second half starts. If you don't, we might have to return to our usual foul play, and you wouldn't want your dear seniors getting hurt again now would you?'

Kuroko gulped. Hanamiya? What would he want? Or was it Hanamiya? Kuroko shrugged and closed his locker. He took a deep breath before he began to walk towards the door. He probably should go. If he doesn't who knows what they might do to Kiyoshi-senpai and the others.

"Where are you going?" Asked Riko quickly.

"Oh I'm just going to the bathroom," he quickly lied.

"Oh okay. Be back quickly. We need to discuss something,"

"Okay," he nodded and left, not noticing the concerned look Kagami was giving him as he stood up.

He stalked the building until he found the roof, while making different scenarios in his head of what Hanamiya could possibly want. He couldn't think of anything reasonable.

When he opened the door to the roof he found Hanamiya, that fish eyes guy and the guys with the long hair. Furuhashi and Hara was it? He hesitated to walk closer to them, but did so anyway. He gulped and observed their expressions. Hanamiya had the same expression on his face as he did when they first met. While Kuroko couldn't really read Furuhashi and Hara.

"Kuroko you came... How unfortunate..."

"Huh?" Kuroko asked a bit confused.

"I have a small question to ask you if you don't mind," Hanamiya smirked. Kuroko frowned. He didn't like this one bit. He was almost sure that this wasn't going to end well, and resisted the urge to simply turn around and walk away.

"Yes what is it?" He asks uncertainly.

"Well, what would you say if we told you, that we may or may not plan on hurting your seniors a little more than we originally intended to?"

"Wha-what?"

"Originally we were going to just hurt them on court. You know, elbowing them, kneeing them, possibly maybe even crushing them. Okay, definitely crush them. The usual thing that gets me off. But now that we think about it, it might be a lot more enjoyable if we simply took them into a dark room or an alley and simply beat them to death. Doesn't that sound a lot more appealing huh? Kiyoshi writhing in pain. Four eyes screaming for help. That cute little coach girl begging for us to stop. How does it sound?"

Kuroko couldn't move. He just stared at the insane human being before him. How could someone be so heartless and cruel.

"You wouldn't. You couldn't,"

"Oh we would. And we most definitely could. But, if you do what we say then we might reconsider," Hanamiya said as his smirk grew wider.

"No.."

"Well okay... I'll give you a choice between two things... Either that, or..."

"Or..." He let out a small laugh.

"How about, if we win our match, then fine, we will leave you all alone. We won't bother you at all. But, if we lose, then you are to be our play thing. You are to do everything we say, whether it be make us food or simply take a beating. Doesn't that sound fun?"

"You're insane!" Kuroko managed to choke out.

Hanamiya laughed.

"Tell me something I don't know,"

"It's either you or your seniors kid," said Hara finally.

"Choose wisely," Hanamiya said with his grin.

"I..." Kuroko's voice was stuck. He didn't know what to do. He cared for his seniors more than anyone. He didn't want them to get hurt. And if they lost, they may end up losing something. Losing their pride. Knowing Hanamiya he wouldn't just settle on leaving them alone after they won. They would taunt them. And how could Kuroko make them win? He couldn't do anything but fail his team.

But at the same time he didn't want to be subjected to this guy. He knew Hanamiya was a bad person. He knew Hanamiya hurt others for fun. He wasn't sure if he would be able to last with them. And who knows what they would do.

He didn't know what to do. He was confused, if not scared. Okay. He was really scared. Scared for his seniors. Scared for himself. Scared for what would happen if he didn't comply in some way. Whatever happens it will end badly. Dammit. Why did he come here...?

"Hurry up I'm getting impatient brat," Hanamiya growled.

He knew what he had to do. He couldn't allow his seniors to lose their pride. After what Kiyoshi had faced last time they played against them, he knew that he couldn't afford to let them lose this match.

He took a deep breath before looking at Hanamiya.

"Fine. If you win this match, you leave, and never bother us again! And if you lose… Well then I'll become your… your…-"

"Plaything," laughed Hanamiya.

"Now run along kitten," he mocked, "We have a match to finish."

Kuroko quickly nodded and started to walk away.

"Oh and before you go, no telling any of you teammates. Not even that arrogant red headed bastard. If we dare find out you told them, then the deals off. Understood?"

"Yes…" Kuroko quickly said before he began to run back to his locker room..

Dammit! Why was he so weak? Why was he so powerless? Why did he give in to Hanamiya's plan so fast? This was unfair. Why was this happening to him? To his teammates? To his friends? Why couldn't he do anything to stop Hanamiya? God dammit…

He resisted the urge to cry as he walked back to the locker rooms. He sighed as he decided it would be best to go wash his face or something before going back. He did so and started walking back again. He reached the door, and tried his best to put on his most monotone expression. He slowly opened the door and walked in. He straight away stiffened.

Everyone in his team was staring angrily and worriedly at him. They were all standing up and clenching their fists.

"Is uh, everything okay?" he asked hesitantly.

"Don't worry Kuroko! We'll protect you!" said Kagami confidently.

"Huh? What do you mean Kagami-kun?" Kuroko asked softly, feeling a bit worried now.

"You know what he means!" shouted Hyūga.

Kuroko gulped.

"Kagami-kun heard the whole thing!" cried Riko.

Kuroko stiffened.

"He recorded everything!" shouted Izuki.

Kuroko stared wide eyed before looking down at the ground. Dammit. He didn't want his seniors to be hurt, and now that they know about it, he was certain they weren't going to leave it alone.

"It's nothing you guys. Just win the match,"

"Just win the match?! How the hell are we meant to simply win the match when doing so we know we're going to lose a teammate?!" yelled Hyūga.

"You're not going to lose a teammate…"

"Oh what you think Hanamiya's just going to give you a few pats on the back and your free?! Hanamiya isn't like that! He won't give up until you're broken Kuroko. And we can't let that happen!"

"But I don't want you to get hurt!"

"And we won't!" yelled Riko, "We're not that careless! We won't simply let them hurt us. We can protect ourselves, and along with that we will protect you."

If Kuroko wasn't trying his best to stay composed for the game that will continue in a few minutes, he would most definitely cry. He really couldn't believe how great his friends and seniors were. But he knew he couldn't do it. Even if his seniors say that, he couldn't risk it. He'd rather force himself to face Hanamiya than have to watch his seniors get hurt.

"I'm sorry… But I have to do it… For the team…"


	2. Beg

"What the hell are you talking about you idiot?!" yelled Kagami. He couldn't believe Kuroko would be so stubborn as to deny the help of his seniors and his friends.

"Come on Kuroko its fine! We'll just lose the match and everything will be fine! He'll leave us and you alone and there won't be any more trouble," said Kiyoshi.

Kuroko sighed and stared up and his senpai.

"Do you really believe that Hanamiya is the kind of guy that would just simply leave people alone? I really don't know too much about him, and you have known him longer than I have, but even I can tell that he doesn't exactly stay true to his promises,"

"Oh? And if we win and you go to him, what makes you think he'll keep that promise too? What makes you think he won't just do this and that and then come for the rest of us? It's not all about you Kuroko. We want to help as well." Said Hyūga.

"I really don't know what he would do, but I know one thing. You can't lose this match. It would be too much of a loss for you. Hanamiya wants to manipulate me to make you lose the match, but I won't stoop down that low. I know all my teammates have their pride, and losing to cheaters like them surely wouldn't be good for it. Plus it may also be just as bad for the rest of our reputation. Not only would Hanamiya laugh at us, but other schools will too. I won't let that happen,"

"Then we'll confront Hanamiya!" said Riko.

"No! I told him I wouldn't tell you, but Bakagami here just had to eavesdrop. He said that if I tell you, the deals off and he will automatically hurt us all, so when we go back to the game, which we probably should do so right now, I want you to act a thought you don't know anything. Please. Please, just trust in me."

Everyone stayed quiet. They didn't know what to think. They didn't know if they should blame Hanamiya for everything, or blame themselves for getting them into this mess.

"Kuroko…" Kagami said quietly, "I can't."

Everyone turned to the suddenly quiet ace and stared.

"What's wrong Kagami-kun?"

"I can't simply just let Hanamiya win and take you away for some unknown reason. Whatever his motives are, I'm certain they won't be good. He's going to hurt you Kuroko! And I can't bear that!"

"What do you-"

"Shit!" yelled Hyūga suddenly, "We should go we'll be late!" He yelled as he went for the door. Everyone sighed and stared at Kuroko sadly.

"Please, don't worry about me,"

The others sighed again and slowly nodded as they began to exit the locker rooms and head for the court again. When they go there, Kirisaki Daiichi were already there.

Kagami glared at Hanamiya and quickly got ready to play. He really didn't know what to do. He didn't know if he should stay weak, and let them win so that Kuroko would be safe, but his seniors could be in danger, or if he should crush them with all that he's got right now, and follow the consequences of those actions on Kuroko. He clenched his fists as he fought the urge to just beat the shit out of Hanamiya right there and then.

"Kagami-kun,"

He lifted his head to find Kuroko standing before him with his fist raised. He had a very small, but still noticeable smile on his face.

"Let's win this game," he said, smiling even more.

Kagami hesitated a bit before he brought his fist up and fist bumped Kuroko's fist.

"Yeah… I guess…"

The game started a little too intensely. The seniors were giving their all. Kiyoshi was catching every single rebound he could and dunking as much as the Kirisaki Daiichi attackers would allow him. Hyūga was desperately trying to score every single three pointer possible to him, only missing when he was blocked. Izuki managed to make all of his passes and shots, not allowing Hanamiya or Kentaro to get in the way. Although they knew that it was probably a very bad idea to be getting too many points as the further their scores got, the more they realised that their first year shadow could get hurt.

While Kagami, well, he was trying his best, but he wasn't concentrating. He couldn't concentrate. He felt uneasy about the idea of Kuroko, his partner, his shadow to be somewhat taken from him. He didn't know Hanamiya well, but his seniors knew him better, and when he saw how his seniors reacted, he knew that Hanamiya I bad news. He knew he couldn't trust him, even if he did promise not to hurt the others. And he most certainly knew he couldn't trust them with Kuroko. For some reason, the thought of Kuroko being hurt angered him to no end, already causing him to get two fouls against Kirisaki Daiichi. The first one he ended up elbowing the 'fish eyes guy' in the gut when they were under the net. And the second one he ended up harshly shoving Hanamiya to the ground. He wasn't pleased with himself for losing his cool like that, but he did enjoy the feel of annoying them.

Kuroko staggered through the court, passing and bouncing the ball to whoever he could. He was determined to protect his seniors, even if it meant not caring for himself.

He suddenly found himself being marked by Hanamiya.

"They seem rather pissed off about something suddenly. You didn't tell them did you little Kuroko?"

Kuroko stayed quiet and gulped before shaking his head.

"Hm… I hope not... It wouldn't be good for you…" he licked his lips before laughing as he swerved around Kuroko and went to score.

The games ended at 112-97 to Seirin. Usually, everyone would have been smiling and laughing and screaming their victory, but right now, the atmosphere of the court hadn't changed. The seniors were still glaring at Hanamiya as though they were ready to rip their throats out.

Hanamiya walked over to Kuroko and leaned into his ear.

"Now listen here my little Kuroko-kun. I shall do as I say I did. I will leave the seniors alone. None of them will be touched. Neither will any of your other teammates. But you, well you know your new role. I shall see you later…" he whispered all into Kuroko ear. Kuroko was doing to his to muffle a slight sob. Honestly, he felt fear. He didn't know what to expect from that guy, but it most certainly wasn't going to be pleasant. Ad he knew that. He knew he wasn't going to get a simple 'clean my bedroom' or 'make me something to eat' invitation. But he knew it was most definitely going to be brutal. He could almost _taste_ that it was going to hurt.

He gulped as he turned away from him and walked back to face Kagami. Kagami stared down at him, with a slight hint of hurt in his eyes. He had heard what Hanamiya had said, even if he did whisper it, he wasn't exactly too quiet.

"Kuroko…"

"Yes Kagami-kun?"

Kagami suddenly pulled Kuroko closer and embraced him in a tight hug. He buried his head in his neck as he lifted him up a bit off the ground.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered, "We won…"

"No Kagami-kun. It's fine. I'm happy I could protect you guys."

"Idiot…" He said as he let Kuroko go, "You didn't have to,"

"But I wanted to. Especially after what our teammates have done for us. If it weren't for them, we wouldn't be here right now. We wouldn't have played together like this. I had to repay them somehow, and this was honestly a perfect opportunity. And you Kagami-kun. I wouldn't have been able to beat the Generation of Miracles without you. I wouldn't be here without you. I owe you a lot,"

"Shut up you idiot!" yelled Kagami.

Kuroko jumped a bit, a little surprised by Kagami's outburst.

"You're risking what may possibly be your life here. That guy seems serious about this. I can't just stand by the side lines and observe as you get hurt!"

"So you didn't keep the promise huh?"

Kuroko and Kagami stiffened. Shit. They forgot.

Kuroko gulped as he began to shake a little and turned around to face an unamused Hanamiya.

"Did I not say that if you told them, even if you told him, the deal's off? Did I not make it clear enough?"

Kuroko stayed quiet. How could he be so careless as to forget that Hanamiya was still there?

_'__How fucking foolish of me! Oh god what have I done?'_

"So what shall I do now hmm? Maybe I'll be kind enough to simply go along with the original plan. Or maybe I'll just go for you all. That would be much more fun wouldn't it?"

He laughed loudly before looking at Kuroko with a straight face.

"We'll just have to see, won't we…" he growled, before he turned around and walked out of the court.

Kuroko couldn't say anything. He was too muddled up in the fact that he made such a stupid and careless mistake, and that he wasn't sure if he could protect his friends any longer. Actually, if he wasn't in the middle of a court, where there were plenty of people looking at him, including his own teammates, he would have broken down into streams of tears by now.

He quietly exhaled and began to walk to the direction of the Kirisaki Daiichi locker rooms. Whether he would lose his pride and dignity or lose himself, he sure as hell wasn't prepared to lose his teammates.

"Kuroko where are you going?!" asked Kiyoshi seriously.

"I have to do something…"

"Kuroko if you're planning on going to him then I can't let you do that," said Kagami harshly as he grabbed Kuroko's wrist. Kuroko looked up to Kagami and glared at him, making him slightly loosen his grip.

"Kagami-kun…Whatever Hanamiya is planning to do…Whether it be a simple chores punishment, or a real beating half to death, I am willing to take it to protect you all. After what Kiyoshi had done for us last time we played these guys, he risked his life for us, to protect us, and I feel like I need to do the same right now. We wouldn't even be in this situation if it weren't for me and my stupidity. I went to Hanamiya, I angered him, I'm the reason he has this grudge against our team. So I'm going to face what I have to face, to protect you guys."

"Kuroko stop being irrational!" yelled Hyūga.

"I'm not being irrational!" Kuroko yelled as he shoved Kagami's hand off his wrist and stormed towards Kirisaki Daiichi's rooms. Everyone else, including the audience, stared at the angry teen that was slowly going out of sight, before he was gone. Seirin was rather shocked. They had never heard Kuroko yell like that before. Kagami was scared and worried. He had no idea of what a reckless decision Kuroko could make that could hurt him. He cared for the small boy too much to let him get hurt. Aomine, Midorima, Kise and Murasakibara were speechless. They didn't know what to think of Kuroko after that little show. But they definitely felt angry. They felt as though they could kill Hanamiya on the spot. He had once again angered Kuroko, and although Murasakibara wasn't there to witness the first time, he sure as hell knew that this time was all he needs to see, because now they knew they had to help his former teammate and close friend.

"Tetsu…"

"Kurokocchi…"

"Kuroko…"

"Kuro-chin…"

Kurokos stormed towards the unfamiliar locker rooms. He had no idea what he was going to say to Hanamiya, but then again, he knew why he was here. He reached the doors and shoved them open, to find only Hanamiya inside.

"Ahhh Kuroko-kun. Why are you here?"

Kuroko took a moment to observe Hanamiya (Or more precisely to catch his breath). That stupid smirk planted on his face. The mocking emotion in the corner of his eye. That sprawled out and relaxed posture. All of it pissed him off.

"Don't add kun to the end of my name,"

"Aw but why? It sounds cute,"

Kuroko could have sworn that if it wouldn't end badly, he would have his fist planted firmly into Hanamiya's face right now.

"I came here to ask you a favour,"

"Oh? Kuroko-kun needs something?"

"Yes…" he said quietly as he prepared himself to ask Hanamiya.

"I want you take me! Don't touch any of my teammates! Please just leave them alone and don't hurt them! I'll take their place. I'll take anything you bring to me. You can hurt me, beat me, disgrace me, hell, violate me if it pleases you, just don't touch my friends!"

Kuroko had tears at the corners of his eyes, threatening to fall. He was terrified of the fact that he had just let himself go like that.

"A tempting offer… But…"

Kuroko stiffened once again. What else could he do?

"Fine. I'll take you up on your offer. On one condition,"

"What is it?"

"Beg. Beg for me to take you,"

"Wha-what?"

"In front of your teammates,"

"What do you-"

"I will take you up on your offer, if you get down on your knees, and scream for me to take you in front of your teammates. Maybe even those little Generation of Miracles pals you have,"

"I have to… beg…"

Kuroko clenched his eyes closed. Could he really take this? He didn't know anymore as he let the tears fall.


	3. How Foolish

Kuroko walked back to the Seirin locker rooms to find all of his teammates about to leave.

"Kuroko!" Yelled Riko as she ran to him, "Don't you dare ever do that again!"

"Uh... Sorry..."

Kagami suddenly ran up to him and began to pat him everywhere.

"You're not hurt are you? What did that bastard say? He better not have hurt you I swear I will-"

"Kagami-kun. I'm fine. We just... Talked,"

Kagami raised an eyebrow and looked down at Kuroko before sighing in relief.

"Listen Kuroko," began Riko, "We're not leaving you alone for even a second. You will be spending the night at Kagami-kun's apartment with him tonight. It may seem a little idiotic and over protective, but we aren't taking any chances. All of us will stay together in some way, just in case,"

"Umm I don't think that's necessary. I can take care of myself its fine,"

"No it's not. Stop pushing people away when they try to help Kuroko," growled Kagami. Kuroko gulped. Well that sure didn't make him feel any better than he already did.

"And there's no need for you to worry about yourselves. He won't touch you," Kuroko whispered. He silently replayed what Hanamiya had told him to do. It was demeaning. It was rather disgraceful. It was something he couldn't take back. But he had to do it.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing..."

Everyone's sighs filled the room.

"Let's go... We should get something to eat," said Riko as she left the locker rooms and everyone followed.

Kagami walked alongside Kuroko a little further away from the group.

"Kuroko..."

"Yes Kagami-kun?"

"I... I don't want you to get hurt,"

"Why are you suddenly being so caring and thoughtful Kagami-kun?"

"Shut up! And what the hell is that supposed to mean? Your my best friend aren't you? I'm allowed to care for you if I want to,"

"Oh... We'll thank you Kagami-kun," Kuroko smiled and looked up at his light.

"Guys I don't think this is the time to be acting like a married couple,"

They looked up to find their teammates smiling at them.

Kuroko smiled back. He was glad his teammates still had those smiles.

"How can you guys be so happy?" suddenly asked Kagami.

"Well, being sad won't help," Said Hyūga.

"Yeah," agreed Kiyoshi, "If Hanamiya is planning anything for any of us, it's best to at least stay happy while we can," he continued with a smile.

Kuroko laughed silently to himself. He was thankful that even though he knew his seniors won't get hurt unless Hanamiya went back on his word, that they were still happy.

The rest of the walk was a rather awkward silence until they reached Maji Burger.

They went inside, ordered their food and sat down.

Kuroko stared at Kagami's food awkwardly.

"Kagami-kun,"

"Yeah?"

"You're not eating as much as usual. Is something wrong?

"N-no. Nothing's wrong everything fine,"

Kuroko sighed and continued to sip his vanilla shake, trying to think of why Kagami was acting this weirdly.

"KUROKOCCHI!"

All if Seirin turned around to find a tall blonde model running towards Kuroko with his arms open. Kuroko quickly dodged him before he was able to be glomped half to death.

Behind the blonde, stood the full-fledged Generation of Miracles. Murasakibara had informed Akashi of what happened after the match, which caused him to get there as soon as he could, in all his anger and worry. They may not have shown it, but they all most certainly care about Kuroko.

"Hello Aomine-kun, Midorima-kun, Akashi-kun and Murasakibara-kun,"

"You missed me Kurokocchi!"

"Oh hello Kise-kun,"

"So mean…"

"Tetsuya," said Akashi in a rather loud tone for him, causing everyone to straight away silence themselves, "We need to talk to you,"

"What for Akashi-kun,"

"No questions. Follow us,"

"Hey he is staying right here!" suddenly yelled Kagami. Akashi turned around and glared at the opposing red head, before sighing.

"You come along as well _Taiga_. But no one else," he said as he motioned for them to follow. Kuroko swallowed at looked at Kagami before standing up and proceeding to follow his former teammates. They walked outside of Maji Burger to find a big limousine standing outside. Akashi opened the door and motioned for them all to get in.

Kagami began choking a little.

_'__Jesus Christ this guy is loaded!'_

They got inside and sat in silence for a few minutes. All eyes were on Kuroko. Kise was looking at him with a rather worried expression. Aomine has a pure angered expression on his face. Midorima showed slight hints of annoyance, but mostly anger. Murasakibara has his usual bored stoic expression, but if anyone were to look close enough, they could see the worry in his eyes. Akashi on the other hand had a sophisticated calm look on his face, with not even single hint of any emotion showing. Kagami just stared awkwardly at Kuroko, as though expecting him to say something.

"Tetsuya… Explain to us, what caused you to agree to something so foolish as to basically give yourself, _your body_, away? Especially to a cretin like that,"

"What do you mean foolish? I did to protect my seniors!"

"But from what we heard your seniors are gonna get hurt anyway so what really was the point Tetsu?" Aomine butted in.

Kuroko bit his lower lip. He knew his friends didn't know of the incident with Hanamiya in the locker rooms and he didn't want to tell them yet. What with what Hanamiya is making him do, I'm sure they'll find out soon enough.

"They won't. I'll protect them,"

"Oh? And how will you do that? How Tetsuya?"

Kuroko stayed quiet.

"Kuro-chin gave himself away. I heard him talking to that other guy in the locker rooms. That guy agreed to take Kuro-chin and leave his friends alone if he begged in front of them. And us," Murasakibara said broadly.

Kise and Aomine were a little shocked. Never had they heard Murasakibara being this useful before. He was usually useful in the whole 'beating them up' thing, but when it came to information, he was a lost cause. If they weren't in such an awkward atmosphere at the moment, they were sure they would have applauded their friend.

Kuroko on the other hand was staring wide eyed. He didn't want them to know. He didn't. Now that they knew they could mess everything up. They could call off his deal with Hanamiya and he could end up right where he started – facing the fear of his friends being hurt.

"Oh? And when were you planning to tell us this Tetsuya?"

Kagami was shocked. Was this what happened when he went to the Kirisaki Daiichi locker rooms? God damn him for being an idiot and not following him. But, he sure as hell is gonna have to discuss this with him later.

"Tetsuya I asked you a question,"

"I wasn't going to tell you," he said quietly.

"So you were going to do something as reckless as that without consulting anyone's help. You were going to simply humiliate yourself in front of your friends. You were going to comply to his demeaning commands even if it meant losing your pride. How foolish can you get Tetsuya? You never used to be like this. You used to always figure out your problems with a friend. You never did anything by yourself. Never. And now you go and do this. I's rather disappointed in you,"

"Well what the hell did you expect me to do?! We're no longer teammates, and like you stopped trusting in me, I stopped trusting in you! I couldn't face telling you guys something like this for that exact reason! What you said just now Akashi-kun, that's the reason I didn't want to go to you! You would make me feel like an idiot and as though my efforts were worthless. Just leave me and my life alone,"

"Kuroko!" finally shouted Midorima, "How the hell can you think that?! When the hell have we stopped trusting in you?! Explain to us! We never stopped trusting in you. Yes, we drifted away from you, but that didn't mean we stopped trusting in you, you idiot! I don't get it; this doesn't seem like you at all. What happened to the calm and collected Kuroko we knew? You would never fret about anything like this. Even when Kise had been threatened several times by Haizaki back then, and had been put in danger, you still ended up facing everything with the same calm stoic attitude,"

Kuroko looked at his hands on his knees before sighing and looking over to Kagami.

"Let's go Kagami-kun. We're done here,"

"Tetsuya you're not going anywhere until we solve this problem,"

"I'm sorry Akashi-kun, but if you haven't noticed yet, what with that douche-y attitude of yours and that thick skull, that I don't need your help! I'm tired of having to face you with every single problem I have. I need to do things on my own!"

"But you can't." said Kise silently.

"You never could."

"Tetsu we are going to help you whether you like it or-"

"No Daiki. Let him be. If he wants to make idiotic decisions by himself then let him. You heard him, it no longer concerns us,"

"But-"

"No buts Ryouta. It's his problem, so he'll deal with it himself,"

Kuroko glared at Akashi, in an attempt to stop the tears in his eyes from falling as he grabbed Kagami's hand and exited the limousine.

"Be careful Kuro-chin…"

"You better protect him you Bakagami,"

"Don't do anything even more foolish Kuroko,"

"Look after yourself Kurokocchi,"

"How imprudent of you Tetsuya…"

Kuroko ignored all the things they said as they walked out, while Kagami burned them into his memory. Although he had stayed quiet through all of that, he had many things to say to him. A little too many things.

"Kagami-kun,"

"Yeah?"

"Where's your apartment. I want to go home but since coach told me to stay at your place, I would like to go back now,"

"Uhhh sure, let's just go tell coach,"

"Text her later that we went back. I don't want to see anyone right now,"

"Okay…"

Kagami eyed Kuroko the whole way back to his apartment. He had his eyes hidden by his hair so he couldn't really tell what he was thinking. He seemed rather tense every time Kagami got a little too close or said anything.

Kagami let out a little inner laugh.

_'__This is so stupid' _

To think that all this started with such a stupid situation. What the hell is all of this? It just seems a little too weird, just all of a sudden Hanamiya coming in and ruining the picture for Kuroko. It all seems to fast, too pointless, too_ unrealistic_. He didn't think that Kuroko deserved any of this. No. He knew that Kuroko didn't deserve any of this. Especially now that his little Generation of Miracle friends seemed to make it much harder for him to cope with it all, he questioned if he really could do anything for his shadow, his best friend.

He once again glanced at Kuroko as they were nearing his apartment building. Kurokos breathing seemed a little uneven, almost as if he was trying hard not to cry. He was slightly shaking, but it was quite hard to notice unless you stopped and stared for a moment. His teeth were clenched the whole way to his apartment, only unclenching to take a deep breath or a long sigh.

He looked rather vulnerable there, and it pissed Kagami off. He wasn't used to Kuroko being this emotional, this tense and this weak. He was always fully aware of his emotions and would try to hide them from people, creating that small barrier between himself and everyone else. But Kagami had broken that barrier and has seen what was really inside – his smile, his warmth and his passion for the things he loves shine bright. To an ordinary person Kurokos state at the moment wouldn't faze them; they would just assume he was cold. But Kagami knew he was in pain. And he knew he had to help him. But not before he could talk to him about what Murasakibara has said earlier.


	4. This isn't like you

When they arrived to his apartment Kagami offered for Kuroko to take a shower, which he accepted gladly. Kagami thought that a shower would be a good thing to calm the smaller teen down at least a little.

As he heard Kuroko turn on the shower, he went to change and then plopped himself on his couch. He sighed deeply, wondering just how all this happened. Honestly, Kagami felt like this was somewhat his fault. He felt that if he had just stayed with Kuroko. If he had just gone with him to the Kirisaki Daiichi locker rooms, then this wouldn't have happened. Kuroko wouldn't be in a state where he was afraid of what Hanamiya might do to him, and afraid of what humiliation he would have to face.

He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. He really had no idea what to do. He really wasn't good at handling this kind of stuff.

He quickly got up, remembering that Kuroko didn't have any clothes with him and went to look for something for him to wear. He found a white shirt that was a few years too small for him, a shirt that he had when he was still in America and a pair of shorts. He blushed a little as he looked through his drawer of boxers, possibly hoping to find Kuroko a new pair. He had managed to find a grey pair that hadn't been used yet. He folded them up and left them outside the bathroom door.

"I left you some clothes here,"

There was a short silence.

"Thank you Kagami-kun,"

Kagami hummed back a little in response and went back to the living room. He sat down on the couch again and held his face in his hands.

How the hell was he going to ask about what Murasakibara had said?

_'Kuro-chin gave himself away. I heard him talking to that other guy in the locker rooms. That guy agreed to take Kuro-chin and leave his friends alone if he begged in front of them. And us,'_

What was he going to say to him?

_'Damn that stupid Kuroko. Why did he get himself stuck in a such a stupid situation?!' _yelled Kagami in his mind.

He heard the shower stop and doors open and close. He inhaled deeply as he prepared for what he might have to say to him. He feared the fact that what he will say might probably upset Kuroko even further, but he had to find out. He had to ask why he would make such a decision.

The doors of the bathroom opened and closed again and he heard footsteps. He turned to the direction of Kuroko and blushed. His hair was soaking wet and his face was flushed. He was wearing the white shirt, which hung a little loosely on him, falling a little to one shoulder. But Kagami mainly focused on the fact that he was only wearing the grey boxers, and wasn't wearing the shorts.

As though Kuroko could read his mind he looked up.

"The shorts kept falling off, so I didn't wear them. Thank you anyway Kagami-kun,"

"Uh, I-it's fine," he said turning away.

Kuroko walked to the couch and sat lightly beside Kagami. Kagami sighed.

"Kuroko,"

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you something?"

Kuroko suddenly felt a little worried.

"Y-yes,"

"Please don't hate me for asking this, but, about what Murasakibara had said earlier in the limo. He said that you gave yourself away. He said that you agreed to beg for him to take you in front of us if that meant they would leave the team alone,"

Kuroko began to shake a little. That was one question that he definitely didn't want to be asked.

"Kagami-kun I-"

"Why did you agree to that? I agree with Akashi. You're being foolish in your decisions. This isn't like you. As much as I have known you, you would never simply just jump to an answer. It would always take you a while to make a decision. What the hell happened here?"

Kuroko tried to say something but his voice was cut off. Kagami looked as though he was getting extremely angry, and at that moment, that scared Kuroko a little.

"Why the hell are you insisting on doing all this alone? You have friends god dammit! You have been acting as though this whole situation is only about you! Stop acting as though you can solve everything yourself and actually talk to us about it! Akashi and the others offered to help you but you refused it. Stop being so self-centred! You said to Akashi that you need to start doing things on your own. And yes, you do, but not everything. This is not one of those that you can simply shoo away by yourself. You need support and help in this you idiot!"

Kuroko stared at Kagami, his eyes starting to sting a little. Dammit why couldn't they understand? Kuroko didn't want to make himself a burden for them. He wanted to simply end things and not get his friends involved. Kiyoshi had suffered enough in Kuroko's eyes, and he thinks that if he doesn't do this alone, then he might be forced to suffer even more. Kuroko doesn't want to see his friend suffer anymore. And for that desperation, he was willing to give himself.

"Kuroko can't you just please let us help you! You don't need to-"

"I don't need to what? To block everyone out of the situation? To do this alone? To not do this at all? No Kagami-kun. I have seen our friend suffer enough. Who knows what Hanamiya is capable of now Last time, he had literally nearly killed Kiyoshi-senpai. Do you think I can possibly bear to see that happen again? Everyone did their part. They were all hurt. He may not have hurt them physically, but mentally he definitely did. And besides, you saw our first match with him. He was annoyed with me. It was my fault that he has this grudge against Seirin. I think I should do my part in this too. I don't need your help. I need to start doing things on my own,"

"Yes you do need to start doing things on your own, but this is not one of those things! I swear, the real you isn't like this. I haven't known you for too long, but I know that the real you would leave time to make a proper decision, instead of jumping to such a quick conclusion. The real you would never have just simply let yourself get cornered by Hanamiya, The real you would have fought back, and had your friends with you along it. You're being an idiot Kuroko,"

Kuroko clenched his fists and he tried not to let the tears fall. He wanted to protect his friends so badly. He wanted them to be safe. And now, he was getting a lecture on how his decision was a bad one. It hurt to think that after his efforts to help his friends, they didn't appreciate it, especially the one friend he wanted to protect the most.

"I'm sorry for being such an idiot then. Yeah. I'm sorry for every doing anything for you guys. If this is how you're going to take it then this was all worthless,"

"No Kuroko shut up Christ you're taking this the wrong way! We just want to help you!"

"No! Shut up!" he screamed as his tears finally fell down his pale face, "I don't need this from the person I want to protect most!" he yelled as he stood up from the couch and began to walk in the direction of the bedrooms. He walked into the bedroom that he would usually sleep in whenever he stayed over at Kagami's and slammed the door.

Kagami stared wide eyed as the bluenette stormed away. He had never seen Kuroko have such an outburst. Dammit he felt guilty now. He shouldn't have brought that up. He should have just kept his questions to himself and should have avoided any talk about it. Now he made Kuroko cry and he felt very god damn guilty for it. He was definitely not the best in these situations, and at the moment, he really didn't know what to do.

He sighed and face palmed. Dammit though, why was Kuroko being so difficult? He was never like this. It kind of worried Kagami that Kuroko suddenly had such a big change in character.

_'The person I want to protect most? What does he mean?'_

Kagami repeated the thing that Kuroko had said to him several times in his mind. He didn't know how to feel about those words. He was a bit of an air head so things like that processed a little slow in his mind.

He sighed, stood up and looked in the direction of Kuroko's room. Should he check on him? Maybe it was best not to. Maybe it was best to simply let him be alone for the night.

Kagami rubbed his temples a little as walked over to Kuroko's room. He gulped before lightly knocking on the door. No answer. He tried again. Still no answer.

He gulped again and slowly twisted the door knob and pushed the door open. As he entered he couldn't really see anything in the dark. He stood at the door for a few minutes until his eyes got a little accustomed to the dark. As he did so, he painfully listened to the faint sobs that echoed through the room. When his eyes finally got accustomed well enough, he could make out a small ball of a figure under the covers on the bed. He walked over to the bed and sat down. The small figure was shivering slightly and the faint sobs could still be heard. He slowly reached for a corner of the covers and carefully lifted it up. He couldn't make out much but he could make out a face.

"Kagami-kun please, just leave me alone," sobbed the boy.

Kagami sighed and slid the covers off more. From what he could make out, he could see that Kuroko was crying, not that that wasn't obvious enough already. Kuroko's body was heavily trembling and he was trying to squish himself as far into a ball as he could.

"Kuroko I'm sorry. I didn't mean to suddenly bring that up. I wasn't thinking about what I was saying. You're not an idiot. You did what you felt was right and you did it with courage. And that's the most important thing. You did it for your friends, and that is something that would make our whole team very happy,"

Kuroko's trembling figure stopped shivering so much.

"But I made a mistake Kagami-kun, you were right. That was a stupid decision. I made a stupid decision without thinking. I also denied all my friends' efforts to help me. Kise-kun and Aomine-kun are going to hate me," he sobbed. He started to tremble a little again.

Kagami stared with sympathy that the figure. He edged a little closer until he was touching him. He took him by his shoulders and gently sat him up. He wiped his tears and then places his head on his chest.

"They won't hate you. They know you did what you had to do,"

"And I did something stupid,"

"You did something brave,"

"What will Kiyoshi-senpai think of me now?"

"He'll admire your efforts. He'll hug you and thank you for everything. He'll smile at you with his whole heart,"

"He'll hate me,"

"He'll thank you,"

"Kagami-kun,"

Kagami looked down at Kuroko who was now clinging on to his shirt and sobbing quietly.

"Just rest,"

Kuroko nodded and soon enough, he fell asleep.

Kagami laid himself and Kuroko down on the bed. He wanted to leave to avoid any awkwardness in the morning but he wanted to stay to keep Kuroko safe. As he was about to fall sleep he heard a phone vibrating.

He looked around, searching for the source of the vibrating and finally found the phone on a bed stand. He slowly reached for it, cautious not to wake Kuroko. He grabbed and flipped it open. It was Kuroko's phone. The light burned his eyes for a few moments before he got accustomed to it. He looked at what was on the phone and found a message from an unknown number.


End file.
